DARK VOYAGE

In March 2009, I had the good fortune to have a short story, “Family Man,” published in Crimespree Magazine. Most of my stories have been published online, but “Family Man” was only seen in print by Crimespree readers… until now. Christopher Grant, editor of A Twist of Noir, agreed to republish my twisted tale about a doting father and devoted boyfriend. Here’s how it begins.

“Open your eyes now,” Gary said, staring at his girlfriend’s face beside his in the hallway mirror. Mila’s plump pink mouth twitched before she opened her eyes. Gary watched as her gaze trailed down to her breastbone, where a pendant of white gold hung from a delicate chain.

“Look, it twinkles in the light,” he said. His broad hands were on her shoulders and he moved her forward and back, gently, grinning at her all the while. “Diamonds.”

“Diamonds,” Mila repeated, staring at the necklace.

“Don’t you think it’s beautiful? Not beautiful like you are, but hell. Nothing’s that beautiful.” He leaned in and kissed the fine blonde hair at her temple. “C’mon, Mila, say you like it, okay?”

“I like it okay.” She avoided his eyes.

“Look at this, you can make the chain longer.” He unhooked the lobster clasp with his squared-off fingertips and moved it along a few links. Mila was wearing a plain black T-shirt, but Gary pictured the pendant swinging into her cleavage. “You look so hot, baby,” he said, putting his arms around her and nuzzling her neck.

“Not… not in the mood. Not tonight, Gary,” she said, pulling away. Her English wasn’t so good, but that was one phrase she’d learned. It seemed to Gary that she was going to repeat it every time she saw him now.

Before Publishers Weekly reviewed THE DAMAGE DONE, I was on tenterhooks. Would they find my fiction debut interesting, or would they hate it? Those seemed like the only two possibilities. I wasn’t prepared for a rave, but that’s what I got. It took me a few tries to read PW’s review successfully. Here it is in full:

08/02/2010 Fiction

The Damage Done

Hilary Davidson, Forge, $24.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-7653-2697-3

In Davidson’s razor sharp mystery debut, travel journalist Lily Moore, who’s been living in Spain, rushes home to Manhattan’s Lower East Side on learning that her younger sister, Claudia, a recovering heroin addict, has apparently drowned in her bathtub on the anniversary of their mother’s suicide. The corpse in the morgue, however, is that of a stranger who’d been posing as Claudia for months. So where’s Claudia? An increasingly frantic Lily launches her private investigation while NYPD detectives Norah Renfrew and hunky “Brux” Bruxton oversee the official one. As Lily dodges the amorous attentions of Martin Sklar, her wealthy ex-boyfriend, who she suspects might’ve had a secret affair with Claudia, she discovers Claudia’s connection to a recently deceased “pseudopsychologist” who had a habit of getting too involved with his female patients. Davidson, herself a travel journalist (Frommer’s Toronto 2010), offers a great portrait of sisterly love, despite a dysfunctional past, as well as a highly satisfying mystery. (Oct.)

I get a shiver every time I read it (though I’ve stopped worrying that PW will issue a correction… most of the time). After a dozen years as a freelance writer, I’m prepared for rejection. Enthusiasm is another story.

I’m so behind on posting that it’s embarrassing, but I have to share two things quickly. One is the absolutely stunning cover of the Beat to a Pulp: Round One anthology. James O’Barr is responsible for the artwork and John Bergin for the cover design; all I can say is that they obviously make an amazing team, because this is a knockout. Check out the names on the cover, too. I was thrilled when David Cranmer asked me to be in the anthology; seeing some of the phenomenal company I’m in is even more exciting. Stay tuned for the release date… or visit David’s blog, since he’s a more reliable correspondent.

Also, late this past Sunday night, I created a Facebook fan page for Beat to a Pulp. I know that I shouldn’t be encouraging anyone to join Facebook (seriously, the ever-evolving privacy policy alone is enough to make me want to cut and run). But if you’ve already signed your soul over to Mark Zuckerberg, come on over to hang out.

One of my favorite events of the year is about to begin: ThrillerFest, a conference that has been described as “summer camp for thriller readers, fans, writers and industry professionals.” It brings some of my favorite writers to the Grand Hyatt in Midtown Manhattan for four days, starting this Wednesday, July 7th. (The first two days are for CraftFest and AgentFest, targeted at writers who are working on thrillers; Friday and Saturday are for readers and writers alike). Featured authors include Linda Fairstein, Harlan Coben, Tess Gerritsen, Gayle Lynds, Joseph Finder, Sophie Littlefield, Rebecca Cantrell… well, you get the idea. It’s quite a line-up. This year, I’ll be on a panel, too: “How Do You Pack for a Thriller?” — about using international settings in your fiction — will take place on Friday, July 9th at 11am. (If you weren’t aware of ThrillerFest but want to attend, you can still register for Friday and Saturday.)

One writer who is attending ThrillerFest asked me — via Twitter — about where to dine gluten-free in New York. This seemed like a perfect time to mention some of my favorite Manhattan spots. If you’re visiting New York this summer, you won’t want to miss these:

Bistango: Almost every item on the menu of this Italian restaurant in Murray Hill can be prepared in a gluten-free version. There’s plenty of gluten-free pizza and pasta dishes, as well as meatier offerings like  rack of lamb. What really makes a meal at Bistango stand out is the graciousness of its staff. The owner, Anthony, goes back and forth between the dining room and the kitchen, talking to everyone and making sure that diners are comfortable. This is a gem. [web] www.bistangonyc.com

Rosa Mexicano: My favorite Mexican restaurant in Manhattan now has a separate gluten-free menu. (The gluten-free menus are available at all three of Rosa Mexicano’s Manhattan locations, though the one at the original First Avenue spot is a little different from the others.) There’s a long list of options, but my favorite main dish is the Budín de Pollo, a decadent tortilla pie filled with layers of chicken, peppers, and cheese. There are also amazing — and rather strong — pomegranate margaritas. [web] www.rosamexicano.com

Risotteria: The bad news is that Risotteria doesn’t do reservations. When the wait gets extremely long, sometimes the waitstaff comes outside with gluten-free breadsticks, guaranteeing that you’ll hang around. The food is stellar, and the many celiac-safe options run the gamut from Caesar salad to mushroom risotto, and from pizza to panini. All of the desserts are gluten-free, and they are divine. [web] www.risotteria.com

There are also two bakeries that I want to mention. Both of them deliver to addresses in the continental U.S., though not all of their products are available this way. If you can, check them out in person:

BabyCakes NYC: This Lower East Side bakery is famous for its organic, vegan, and gluten-free options, but keep in mind that the treats made with spelt are not safe for celiacs or the gluten-intolerant (though they’re a great option for wheat-allergic people). I’m wild about the cupcake tops, but other options include cookie sandwiches, crumb cakes, and banana bread. [web] www.babycakesnyc.com

Tu-Lu’s Gluten-Free Bakery: Formerly known as Tully’s, this East Village bakery is entirely gluten-free. I’m hopelessly addicted to their brownies, which are the best I’ve had in a long time. There are also cupcakes and a variety of cookies, including oatmeal, cranberry, and classic chocolate chip. [web] www.tu-lusbakery.com

[Cross-posted from the Gluten-Free Guidebook]

On the weekend, I read Dennis Tafoya‘s incredible debut novel, DOPE THIEF. (I had no choice — THE WOLVES OF FAIRMOUNT PARK, his second novel, comes out on June 22nd and I wanted to check out his debut first.) It’s a stunning book that managed to mix adrenalin-pumping action with a meditative, poignant heart. Quite a rare feat. Afterwards, I looked at the book’s Amazon listing, to see what other people said. The reviews were universally outstanding, but what got me was that there were only 12 of them.

We all know that authors obsess about their Amazon listings. I’m already doing this, and THE DAMAGE DONE doesn’t come out until September 28th. (Also, it’s currently #4,718,129 in Books. Woot?) Getting lots of terrific reviews won’t guarantee that a book will sell well, but it’s certainly not going to hurt. When I see that a novel is getting raves, it makes me want to read it, too, to see what the fuss is about.

There are several books that I’ve read in the past year and loved. Yet I’ve never gotten around to reviewing them on Amazon. Including the review I just wrote for DOPE THIEF, I’ve only done eight. Until yesterday, the last one was on September 22, 2009, and it was for A BAD DAY FOR SORRY by Sophie Littlefield (which everyone has to read if they haven’t already. The sequel, A BAD DAY FOR PRETTY, just came out!). Somehow, even though I absolutely loved Megan Abbott‘s BURY ME DEEP and Ken Bruen’s LONDON BOULEVARD and Dave Zeltserman‘s PARIAH, I didn’t review them, and I regret that.

So, I’ve got an idea. I’m dubbing July my own personal Amazon Review Month. Each day, I will write one review of a book I truly enjoyed. My only criteria is this: would I recommend the book to a friend? If so, it’s worthy of a review on Amazon. I’m not planning to write epic reviews detailing the book’s content, just three or four lines about what I found so engaging about it.

What I’d like to suggest is that you make July your own personal Amazon Review Month, too. Most of the people I hang out with on Twitter and Facebook are incredibly well-read, and I suspect that if enough of us review books we loved, we can entice others to read them, too. Who’s in?

Last Wednesday night was the launch party for the new Thuglit anthology, BLOOD, GUTS, & WHISKEY. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Thuglit crowd gathered at the Village Lantern. Brass knuckles and shivs? Vodka shots and moonshine? Hair-trigger tempers and fights in the alley? Nope. Instead, I got to meet Todd and Allison Robinson, Thuglit’s creators, and their son (who goes by his street handle Baby Thug; he may already have a tattoo) and a bunch of writers who are just as excited to be in the anthology as I am.

Todd kicked the evening off by reading from “A Message From Big Daddy Thug,” his introduction to the collection:

“To those of you wondering what the hell a ‘Thuglit’ is, we’re all about rainbows, puppy dogs, and whatever Celine Dion is up to. Would I lie? ‘Blood, Guts, and Whiskey’ is the title of a Celine Dion song. Look it up.”

I was the first author to read. I didn’t realize it until Craig McDonald pointed it out on his blog, but I’m the only female writer in the collection (Craig also called me a “noir rose in a thicket of thorns,” which is a title I’m going to be using for the foreseeable future). My contribution to BLOOD, GUTS, & WHISKEY, “Son of So Many Tears,” was the second short story I published, and — just like my first — only the Thugs deemed it worthy to be seen by the reading public. (Thanks again, Big Daddy Thug and Lady Detroit.)

Also reading at the launch: Justin Porter (“Black Hair and Red Leather”), Kieran Shea (“Faith-Based Initiative”) and Glenn Gray (“Mr. Universe”). Todd read from “Death of a Rat” by the late Edward Bunker (also known as Mr. Blue in Reservoir Dogs).

Then, Todd sang.

Yes, you read that right. A musician had been playing guitar and harmonica and singing between authors’ sets all night, and he and Todd rocked the house with “Tupelo Honey.” The sweetest moment of the night for me was when I noticed that Baby Thug was completely riveted by his dad’s performance.

What are you doing on Wednesday, June 9th? If you’re in New York City, I hope you’re planning to come to the launch party for the new Thuglit anthology, BLOOD, GUTS, & WHISKEY. It’s set for the Village Lantern — 167 Bleecker Street near Sullivan — starting at 6pm and running until the bar kicks us out or the police show up, whichever comes first.

“Launch party” might be too tame a term to describe the festivities. More apt: “Booze-Up Bonanza,” as Todd Robinson, AKA Big Daddy Thug, put it in the e-mail invitation. I’ll be reading from my short story “Son of So Many Tears,” which is in the anthology, and several other shady characters — I mean, writers — have been corralled into taking part. Bring brass knuckles and prepare for a great night.

If you’re reading this blog, you already know that I have a soft spot for cemeteries. I take the Victorian view of them, meaning that I find them as serenely bucolic as public parks (though usually far less noisy, and with much better art). So it will come as no surprise that, when it came time to get my author photo taken, I returned to one of my old favorites.

The St. James Cemetery is Toronto’s oldest, and arguably its grandest, burial ground. It doesn’t boast the wide-ranging expanse of Mount Pleasant or the elaborate entryway of the Necropolis, but it’s filled with statues and mausoleums dedicated to some of the 18th- and 19th-century’s famous families: Jarvis, Austin, Gooderham, Brock, Cowan. It’s also in use by the St. George’s Society of Toronto, a volunteer organization that  has assisted poor families with burials since 1859, making the cemetery’s permanent residents an intriguing mix of social strata.

My friend Trish Snyder volunteered to take my photo, and fortunately for me she’s a very good sport. When I suggested the cemetery as a location for the shoot, she wrote back, “Strangest — and most fun — date location ever!” It was. If you’re in Toronto, give yourself at least an hour there for a quick tour. And be sure to take pictures.

I have two blogs: that gluten-free one, which has been around for more than two years, and this shiny new one. My aim is to keep their subjects separate, which shouldn’t be hard, since one is about gluten-free food and the other is about crime. How much could they possibly have in common?

More than you’d think, it turns out. Crime writer BV Lawson is also on a gluten-free diet, and she gave me a great interview that went up on the Gluten-Free Guidebook yesterday. That got me thinking about how much crossover there is between the two worlds. Several crime writers — Laura K. Curtis, Kathy Ryan and Chris La Tray immediately come to mind — have sent me information about gluten-free restaurants, recipes, and health news. Janet Rudolph, who runs a criminal enterprise that includes Mystery Readers Journal and the Dying for Chocolate blog, frequently publishes great gluten-free recipes. On the other side of the equation, it turns out that some of my gluten-free friends are crime-fiction fiends. Who knew?

A year ago, when I started using Twitter, a friend in media advised me to set up two or even three accounts. Her reasoning was that since I write about such a variety of topics, each would get a very different audience. I considered her suggestion but doubted my ability to keep up more than one account. Now I’m glad I didn’t. I love that disparate crowds are mingling. If I could invite them all to a cocktail party, I would. Not that any of them would show up… you know why.

Yesterday, I found out that “Insatiable“ won the 2010 Spinetingler Award for Best Short Story. While I’m still more than a little shocked, I am incredibly grateful for all of the support my story has received. The Spinetingler Awards are voted on by the public via electronic ballot, and it’s an honor to have so many mystery, crime, and noir fans pick “Insatiable” as their favorite… especially given the incredible list of other writers nominated in that category. Thank you!

I also want to say a special thanks to David Cranmer and Elaine Ash. They’re the editors of Beat to a Pulp, which published “Insatiable” in September 2009. Less than 24 hours after I submitted the story for their consideration, David shot back an emphatic Yes. Not only did they publish the story, but David interviewed me for his blog as well. David and Elaine have been wonderful supporters of my work — as they’ve been for many other writers — and I’m grateful that they gave “Insatiable” such a good home. David’s incredibly kind post about the Spinetingler Award was a sweet reminder of how lovely they are to work with.

There are a few other people who need to be mentioned, too. One is Keith Rawson, who reviewed my story for his “Short Thoughts on Short Fiction” column in the BSC Review. Keith’s enthusiastic comments brought “Insatiable” a great deal of notice, and made a wider audience take note of the story. Another is Sandra Seamans, who named “Insatiable” one of the Top 10 stories she’d read in 2009. (Sandra’s own wonderful “Survival Instincts” was nominated for a Spinetingler Award, too.) Also, a special shout-out to my friend Kathy Ryan, who strong-armed countless people into reading “Insatiable” (she’s an ex-cop and she’s fierce!). A huge, heartfelt thanks to all of you.